


seaweed hair and starfish eyes

by stagchan



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Aquariums, Fluff, M/M, One-Sided Attraction, Pining, Pining Tsukishima Kei
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:33:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25270948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stagchan/pseuds/stagchan
Summary: in which yamaguchi participates in the mermaid exhibit at an aquarium, and kei really cannot believe his eyes.(aged up! everyones a year older)
Relationships: Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 7
Kudos: 84





	seaweed hair and starfish eyes

**Author's Note:**

> the 'tsukkiyama' is like BARELY there i just wrote this while i was at the beach its deadass just a drabble? dont expect this to be a serious fic with serious plot

"look, look!" nishinoya yelled out.

nishinoya yelling was not uncommon. his type just cannot be silenced. especially considering that the karasuno volleyball team were on a field trip at an aquarium, and even the dingy blue floor lights made the idiot ecstatic.

however, when even yamaguchi went to examine what nishinoya was hyperventilating about, kei had no choice but to begrudgingly go and take a look.

"look! mermaids! we can be mermaids! holy fuck you guys, i'm gonna be a mermaid!"

"could you keep it down, dickhead?" ennoshita hissed from the nearby seahorse exhibit, pointing to a five-year old and her infuriated mother.

"ah, i'm sorry, nishinoya, but-" yamaguchi sadly pointed to a small label at the bottom of the poster where it said "requirements".

_MAGICAL MERMAID EXHIBIT: OPEN TODAY!_

_Have you ever wanted to be a mermaid? Try our free open day! Makeup, outfits and a kids' show courtesy of us!_

_Requirements:_

_\- Between the height of 5'6 and 6'0_   
_\- Must be good with kids_   
_\- Cannot be over 80kg_   
_\- Good Swimmer_

_ALL genders welcome!_

"god fucking dammit!" nishinoya fumed, ignoring ennoshita's glares.

"heh. that's sad. too bad you're the same height as nicki minaj." kei chuckled.

"shut up! you can't do it either because you're tall and stupid."

"i didn't want to do it anyway. it says you need to be good with kids."

"oh, then yamayama should do it!" nishinoya lightly punched yamaguchi in the ribs. "i mean, you meet all the requirements, right?"

"do you really think so?" yamaguchi murmured, eyeing up the poster with a certain glint of excitement in his eyes. "i would definitely want to try."

"what? mermaid yamaguchi?" tanaka walked over to the small group. he had abandoned hinata and kageyama at the jellyfish exhibit after the two began to argue. they were in danger of being escorted out of the aquarium. "that's actually a good idea! i'll ask ennoshita-san for you?"

"really?" yamaguchi stood up, smiling brightly. now that kei had gotten a better look at him, he noticed that tanaka and nishinoya were right. yamaguchi would definitely make a pretty good mermaid.

tanaka and nishinoya bounced off to ennoshita's direction, though he was busy with tracking down hinata and kageyama after they had officially been kicked out of the aquarium for being a disturbance.

yamaguchi tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear, biting his bottom lip nervously. he looked up at kei with his big copper eyes. 

"what do you think, tsukki? should i do it?"

kei shrugged. "you're definitely more suited for it than most people here, tadashi. why not?"

"okay, but you gotta promise me you won't laugh or anything like that." yamaguchi grinned.

"i promise." kei sighed, fighting not to blurt out anything stupid.

_you're far too pretty to ever be made fun of, i hope you know that._

"yamaguchi, these two are telling me you're going to have sex with a mermaid?" ennoshita walked up to the two of them, pointing a finger to a giggling nishinoya and tanaka. he had an eyebrow raised, clearly perplexed.

"wh-what?!" yamaguchi stuttered, nervously shaking his head. "no! that's not it at all! i want to participate in the mermaid exhibit! they'll dress you up and make you a mermaid and you get to do a show."

kei stifled a laugh and yamaguchi glared at him.

"that makes far more sense. i didn't really think you were much of a closet freak, to be honest." ennoshita shrugged. "yeah, sure. the sign says the show's at two, so i'll let the others know, alright?"

yamaguchi couldn't respond audibly, as he was too flustered, but he nodded his head. kei jutted his thumb in the direction of the mermaid exhibit.

"let's head off, tadashi." kei cleared his throat. "i'll walk you there."

"you're so endearing." yamaguchi croaked out sarcastically. the two of them walked down the hallway marked "MERMAIDS", which was lit up with turquoise lights and scattered with tacky beach decor.

when they approached a door at the end, a cheery woman dressed in a skimpy seashell bra and seaweed skirt waved at them. the two of them gulped and exchanged a look.

_they're not going to put tadashi in that thing, right?_

from the look on yamaguchi's face, he had that exact worry.

"hi there, boys! are you both here for the mermaid exhibit?" she waved, the dinky seashell bracelets on her arms clanking together noisily.

"ah, it's just me." yamaguchi stepped forward. "um, i guess i swim frequently, and i'm pretty okay with kids? also, i fit all the physical requirements you have."

"that's perfect, then!" she whisked her head to check a clock on the ceiling, telling her it was 12:43pm. "we'll take you away to sign some stuff and 'mermaidify' you! your friend won't be able to come with us, though he's free to return at two to watch the show."

"oh, that's fine." yamaguchi smiled, looking genuinely excited. he turned to kei, smiling gratefully. "thanks for coming with me. see you at two?"

"probably." kei replied nonchalantly, nodding his head before stalking off.

_of course i'm going to go see you._

☆☆☆

kei began to bitterly regret the decision.

he hadn't even seen yamaguchi yet. the show was in ten minutes, but the horrible screams of excited children, including tanaka and nishinoya, were definitely forcing kei to reconsider. 

"we look pretty out of place, don't we?" ennoshita sighed. "tanaka, if you scare off one more child, i swear to god."

"it's on accident!" tanaka argued, pulling at his skin to make yet another grotesque face. kinoshita went to tug him away after a little girl burst into tears.

"wow! tanaka's so cool!" nishinoya grinned admiringly. "i wish i could be that scary."

"both of you, step away from the children!" kinoshita yelled.

"when is the show going to start?" kei complained.

"i can't believe i brought a handful of infants to an aquarium." ennoshita muttered.

a strange song began to fade into the small room, and the lights around them dimmed. the aquarium in front of them was now fully illuminated, a bright turquoise blue. a few stray silhouettes of kids blocked the view as they pressed close to the glass.

"ladies and jennelmen, welcome to tah brand new mermaid exsibit!" a woman's thick accent drawled over the speakers. "please put ya hans togeter for ouh very special mermaids!"

almost on cue, two brightly coloured 'mermaids' waded through the tank, their flowing blonde hair trailing after them. one had an orange color scheme, whilst the other was blue. kei couldn't really see much interest in them, but just about every other person in the room marvelled at the pair. even nishinoya and tanaka had shut up.

kei had only just sat up, prepared to leave, when yamaguchi finally swam through the water.

a silence fell upon the room.

_oh my god._

his algae hair swirled around his face, curling around his bright eyes and soft jawline. they had stuck silver stars under his eyes, accentuating his freckles and bringing upon a new shimmer in his expression. the star pattern persisted throughout his whole ensemble, decorating his collarbone and scattered across his torso. his faux tail gleamed with an emerald sheen, the light inside the tank making it shine like a new moon.

kei could've collapsed right there and then.

he was grateful it was so dark in the room; he didn't want anyone to see the flushed expression on his face. the little kids began to shriek and squeal with glee, gaping in awe at yamaguchi. he had definitely outshone any other mermaid, real or not.

"wow! look at him! is that a real tail?" nishinoya yelled stupidly, jumping up and down.

"probably! look at yama-chan! i knew he could do it!" tanaka cheered. "yama! over here"

yamaguchi smiled shyly, waving a hand at a little boy who stood next to the glass. he swam to the other side of the tank, out of view, but his tail flew behind him in a beautiful whirl. every in the room was ecstatic; yamaguchi had quite easily stole the show.

kei's heart throbbed. 

**Author's Note:**

> well well well that was shitty  
> but pining kei>>>>  
> my twitters @yamaguchi_jpg 😻get me to 3trillion followers rn


End file.
